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We had to carefully look for the fine print on the dialog boxes that read "Delete Only" or similar. If we just wildly clicked where the button was, the uninstall might work-but something else got installed in its place. With many of the uninstall routines, the dialog boxes had giant buttons that would say "Uninstall and Get PC XXXXXX" or something similar. Mom tried to uninstall the obvious things, but they persisted. Opening up the Uninstall a Program control panel revealed even more. The desktop was awash in at least 15 icons for needless, worthless crap.
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Using TeamViewer remote control software, I saw the system was a mess, yet all Mom had done was install the software for Dad's beloved (yet dying) Kodak printer. To get that price of $399, however, Acer sold out my parents and wasted hours of my family's lives. Hardware-wise, that Acer Aspire X (Model AXC-605G-UW20) they purchased at Walmart was sufficient. "Just go find an off-the-shelf PC for under $400, it'll be fine compared to what he's got," I told my mom (aka Dad's IT person in residence). I couldn't really recommend spending a lot of money to get it fixed. For example, a few years ago, my technophobic father, then age 75, got a new PC to replace his dying Windows Vista system, which he mainly used to print pictures. But in retail, it's a whole other world of crap. I'd never had major problems with crapware when buying PCs via mail order. There's a reason for that-crapware offsets the price of super-cheap PCs on retail shelves, even if it's only by pennies. It goes by names like crapware, bloatware, or shovelware because computer makers shovel bloated digital crap by the barrelful onto new PCs. They'll gum it up for you with "free" software you don't want. Leave that to the computer manufacturers.
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After all, you haven't gummed it up yet with software, right? How to Set Up Two-Factor AuthenticationĪ brand-new Windows computer should be pristine out of the box.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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